May 8th 2008 2:50PM by Mullet
Used to be that if you were exiled from the Washington Nationals rotation, you would have to seriously think about finding another way to make a living. But over the last two seasons, starting pitching for the Nationals hasn’t been all that bad. Matt Chico was a part of that surprise last year … but this season things haven’t been going all that well for the young lefty. So he, his 0-5 record, and his 6.87 ERA have been sent to the bullpen in favor of Mike O’Connor.”We just want to release Matt from some of that tension that he’s having every five days going out there,” Manager Manny Acta said. “We want to give O’Connor a shot. He pitched very well in Triple-A.”

Chico, 24, has not made a relief appearance since his second professional season, 2004. But he is 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA this season and is the only member of a surprisingly dependable Washington rotation who is under-performing. He also admitted to pressing, a problem he hopes will subside in the bullpen.

“When I was starting, I was trying to do too much,” Chico said. “I was trying to throw five wins in one game.”Yeah, trying to win five games in one does sound like there’s some underlying tension that Chico’s been feeling. If it’s tension that Manny wants him to release, maybe they could send him to the massage therapist that Dmitri Young’s been seeing.